-
European Settlers
Charles Grime Surveyor General from New South Wales (who is believed to be the first European person to explore the Yarra River) explored the river in 1803. -
Melbourne Settled
Melbourne eventually settled. Land was sub-divided and the first ever public lands were up for sale in 1835 -
John Dight and his Purchase
In 1839 John Dight purchased Melbourne block 88 that included 26 acres of land along the Yarra River for 481 pounds which is around $600. -
John Dight moves to Port Phillip Bay
John Dight owned a flour milling near Campbell Town in New South Wales which was called Ceres. He then informed the customers through the Sydney Herald and left for Port Phillip Bay in 1841. -
The First Steam Powered Flour Mill
The first steam powered flour mill was created in Melbourne in 1841.Then John Dight built his own water powered mill soon after with bricks that were shipped to Tasmania. -
The Yarra and the Dights families Mill
While the Dight family owned the Mill the land along the Yarra River changed hands a number of times from 1850's onwards. -
Abandoning the Flour Milling
The Dight family abandoned the Flour Milling in 1864 -
Selling the Flour Milling
Once the Dight family abandoned the Flour Milling it was then sold to Edwin Trennery in 1878. He then subdivided the land. -
The Original Mill
in 1888 the original mill on the river bank was unoccupied until some flour millers Gillespie, Aitken and Scott opened a new mill under the name of 'Yarra Falls Roller Flour Mills' and built buildings at the same site. -
The Rebuild
The mill race was rebuilt using the same position using bluestone blocks form John Dight's old milling building. It was sold to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company in 1891. -
Providing Water
The existing weir in Dights Falls dates back to 1895 when a timber structure was built to provide water to the Melbourne Flour Milling Company. -
Reconstruction in Dight Falls
The first documented reconstruction started in 1918 and in that reconstruction period the timber weir was washed away in flood waters. The minister for Public Works decided to rebuild the timber weir but no action was recorded -
A breach of the Timber Weir
They wanted to reconstruct once again they brought in 1.5 tonnes of rocks from the edge of the weir stream on the 24th of December in 1940 -
More Breach
After a extremely heavy rainfall in 1967 some further breach continued. Most of the timber decking, walings and rock fill had washed away of was badly damaged -
Recognising Fish Migration
In 1993 Melbourne Water started to recognise that the weir was a type of barrier to the fish migration and constructed a rock fishway to allow fish to move in and around the weir.
